Sinn Féin - On Your Side

EU institutions must back Greek debt relief - Carthy

Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands North West and member of the
Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, Matt Carthy, has today said it is time
that the EU institutions and member state governments accede to debt relief for
the Greece.

Carthy stated:

“The Greek government have stretched their mandate to the
limit. Having secured an overwhelming endorsement of their strategy
from the people of Greece they have continued to show willingness to compromise
in the face of hostility from many European leaders. They are now
accused of have both having capitulated and of being uncompromising in the one
breath.

“The fact is that the Greek government have balanced their
mandate with a willingness to compromise since coming to power in
January. In their latest proposals they have arguably stretched
their mandate to the limit. The EU institutions and member state
governments must now reciprocate by agreeing to the Greek proposals.

“Furthermore, the Greek Government request for debt relief must be delivered if there is to be any prospect of entering a
process of economic functioning that would allow for dealing with a new
programme.

“The Syriza Government has displayed courage and integrity
in negotiations. The actions of the Troika, on the other hand, have been
appalling. They have led a strategy of deliberate suffocation of
Greece’s finances and economy and have threatened to sink Greece's banks unless
the Syriza government bowed to their demands.

“They have engineered a situation where Greece may be forced
to leave the Eurozone simply because they have been concerned with political,
rather than economic, considerations.

“We are now in a crucial period. It
is now time for EU institutions and governments, including the Irish
government, acknowledged the huge compromises that the Greek government has
made and agreed to a sustainable deal that will provide some hope for Greek and
European economic recovery and development.”